Jingming

Chapter 285

Since the establishment of the National Policy Conference in Zhengde in 16, there were eighteen chairs at the beginning.

Now, there are 24 permanent participants in the National Policy Council.

Its distribution is as follows: There are seven people in the Palace of State Affairs, including the Prime Minister and the Minister of State. The Nine Ministers, the Chief of the Royal Study, the Chief of the Sixth Section, and the Chief of the Tax Section are all civil servants, occupying a total of [-] seats.Although the assistant director of the Metropolitan Procuratorate is a civil servant, he directly represents the interests of the military together with the general staff of the Military Affairs Conference, one of the governors of the five armies, the admiral of the Beijing camp, and the chief of public security.

But this time the national policy meeting is an "enlarged meeting" held every three years, and the number of participants is much larger.

No matter how many people squeezed into the original Jinshen Hall at this moment, the pattern remained the same—the important ministers defending the emperor.

The national policy hall reformed with Jinshen hall is very large, and the space supported by pillars inside is regarded as a "frame structure".

Now, the throne is in the center, facing north and south.In front of the throne, it is still similar to the original national policy meeting, surrounded by tables and chairs on three sides, but there are several rows on each side.

Occasionally, the attention of the important ministers would be on the eunuchs who served tea and water here, and then they would inevitably look at the emperor.

Five years ago, at the end of the 15th year of Zhengde, the ministers and ministers were still arrogant.

But now, the ministers had no room to comment on state affairs, and all their focus was on the factory guards and those enterprises led by the emperor.

Even though there are so many important ministers in the Palace of National Policy, and even if the Ming Dynasty has installed a powerful prime minister, the emperor is still above everything—for example, who can sit here now, who does not need the emperor's nod and appointment?
What everyone never expected was that the first official agenda of this national policy meeting was to set the style of the "national flag".

No one would think that this matter is nothing to discuss: such an important meeting, every move needs to be carefully considered.

Zhu Houcong said loudly in the hall: "As I said in the letter, the top and bottom of the Ming Dynasty are all one, and this body is the country. Let this flag be set. In the future, this flag will symbolize not only my Ming Dynasty, but also my Huaxia. As the Son of Heaven, we must also respect this flag. After setting this flag, Qing and others will not only be loyal to the emperor, but also serve the country and the people of our country. When the people of the world see this flag, they must know that my Ming Dynasty is the orthodox of China, and the monarchs, ministers, and people We share weal and woe, and foreign enemies and internal worries need to be treated separately."

After a pause, he said: "Treason is worse than treason. Selfishness at the expense of the country is worse than exploiting the people. If the Ming Dynasty is a family, the monarchs, ministers, officials and gentry are like parents and brothers. How can they collude with foreign enemies?" And those who harm younger siblings?"

Yan Song and others looked at Zhu Houcong deeply, starting from the name change of the three halls... No, since the establishment of the National Policy Conference, His Majesty has actually been emphasizing the concept of the country step by step.

As the governor of Zhejiang, he certainly knew what the emperor was talking about.

These things are especially concentrated in border towns and coastal areas.Inside, it is tax evasion and embezzlement of state funds.

It's just that in the past, the world was privately owned by the emperor, and these things purely depended on whether the emperor would vigorously rectify them for the benefit of his personal rule.Now the emperor has a vague interest in the country and everyone has a share, harming the country means harming everyone.

Treason is worse than treason, and this crime is really big.

The emperor is putting the country above the height of the emperor's legal system...

"I ordered Tang Yin to paint this flag." Zhu Houcong asked Zhang Zuo and Huang Jin to bring a square red silk flag.

Red base, yellow pattern.

"There is a saying in "Chunqiu Zuozhuan": The three-star flag is a sign of its brightness. The three-star sun, moon and star are the most noble symbols of China since Yao and Shun. There is a saying in the Zhou Rites: The emperor obeys the sun and the moon. Now, I regard it as The three-star flag is the national flag of Ming Dynasty, its sun is like Zhen, its moon is like ministers, its stars are like awns, like the people of Ming Dynasty, do you think it is acceptable?"

On the flag, there is a sun on the left and a moon on the right surrounded by a circle of yellow stars.

There are no more fine lines on the pattern, but the bright yellow that can only be used by the emperor is used.At this moment, the bright yellow moon and the bright yellow star symbolize the subjects, and their implication is not only intriguing, but this flag is already quite noble.

Naturally, no one has any opinion on this matter and said "no", isn't the emperor citing classics?
The Sanchen Banner is the most honorable, and His Majesty said that treason is even worse than treason.

If there is any flag that is more noble than the dragon flag, it can only use the Sanchen flag, which itself symbolizes the sky.

The resolution was quickly passed, and Zhu Houcong then issued an order: "I ordered the Weaving Bureau to weave this flag, and all the yamen, armies, schools, counties, and townships of the Ming Dynasty will hang this flag high. In the future, there will be three days in the Ming Dynasty." At the flag, everyone must respect Da Mingwei!"

……

Since the 12th year of Hongzhi's imprisoned and demoted due to the imperial examination case, Tang Yin wandered the world for 20 years, selling literature and painting for a living and indulging in sex and sex. He was depressed and his health was broken.

Without Zhu Houcong's Huangming University, his original life trajectory would have been impoverished during the Jiajing period, and he was plagued by various diseases, and died of illness in the second year of Jiajing.

But now that he is the dean of the School of Arts and Literature of Huangming University, he has no worries about food and clothing, and is very leisurely.

The problems accumulated in the body during those 20 years have only been delayed.

At this time, Tang Yin was already lying on the bed.

"Don't worry about that." Wen Zhengming comforted him while sitting beside the bed in his bedroom, "Since His Majesty ordered you to paint the national flag, how can there be disturbances in this national policy meeting?"

Tang Yin was worried about gains and losses, so he just murmured: "I don't agree with the etiquette, I don't agree with the etiquette..."

The concept of country is above the Son of Heaven, Tang Yin was seriously ill, and only worried about how his last work would affect his posthumous reputation.

This may be the simplest painting he has ever painted, but according to what the emperor said when he told him, this is probably the most important painting in his Tang Yin's life.

It will become the national flag of Ming Dynasty and appear in every corner related to Ming Dynasty in the future.

However, if the emperor's ambitions are not fulfilled in the future and the latecomers overthrow everything, he, Tang Yin, is bound to be slandered as well, and will be regarded as a courtier next to the faint emperor, who knows no etiquette and shame but only flatters and invites favor.

"...Li." Wen Zhengming shook his head slightly and sighed.

In addition to Yan Shenggong, the emperor promoted the new learning, and even changed the names of the three main halls like Fengtian Temple, which declared that the legal system is ordered by heaven. He had his own set of etiquette in mind.

Tang Yin forced a smile: "I'm afraid I won't be able to survive this winter. Zhengming, my youngest son, I will entrust to you."

He has no son, only a daughter.This son was adopted, and he is only five years old now.His daughter is already married, Tang Yin is only worried about his son.

Incense is always important.

Wen Zhengming is different. He is now the dean of Huangming University, the father of Concubine Shu, and has been made an uncle.Although he is 55, his body looks much healthier.

This guy really lived a long life. He didn't die until the 38th year of Jiajing. He lived to be ninety years old!

Tang Yin felt that he should entrust the right person.

Wen Zhengming couldn't help wiping his tears when he saw the gesture of entrusting future generations with his old friend for many years.

Just as he was about to comfort him again, someone from the palace delivered an order.

"Congratulations to Dean Tang, congratulations to Dean Tang. The national policy meeting has been agreed, and His Majesty has a decree, please dean Tang to take care of his illness. Afterwards, the Ming Newspaper Office and the Weaving Bureau are waiting for Dean Tang to dissect the meaning of the national flag and assist in weaving."

"It's been agreed?" Tang Yin was overwhelmed with surprise, his face was a little red.

"Hey!" The person who came to pass the decree knew colors, and he asked in surprise, "Dean Tang, why haven't I seen you for a few days? How serious is your illness?"

"It's hard to get back..." Tang Yin confirmed the situation, so he took a breath, "The meaning of it..."

Do you need to speak for yourself?The emperor knew it, and so did Wen Zhengming.

When mentioning Ming Pao Xing, I'm afraid he wanted to put his name on it, so that everyone in the world would know that Tang Yin was the one who made the Three-Chen Banner of Ming Dynasty.

This time, he fell ill again, due to both physical and weather reasons, as well as the reason for painting the Sanchen flag.

At the beginning, of course, he strived for exquisiteness, and painted many patterns to embellish it.

The emperor said again and again that it should be simpler, but he still felt that what the emperor said meant too much, so he often just thought hard and was in a dilemma.

In this process, despite the simplicity of the final flag pattern, it took too much effort for Tang Yin.

Now that he heard that the matter had been settled, he was certainly a little happy, but also more apprehensive.

Will such a pattern be said after being spread out, "This still needs Tang Yin to draw it"?
After a while, he smiled casually: "Please tell your Majesty, eunuch, I'm afraid that this time the minister's illness will be difficult to recover. If you want to tell the world on the Ming Pao, you'd better order someone to come and ask the minister as soon as possible."

If word spread that Tang Yin died of a serious illness in the end, part of the reason for his "pain and painstaking effort" on this simple painting would be a joke through the ages.

Then joke about it.

Later, Lin Xiyuan came in person.

Tang Yin raised his arm weakly, and pointed to a large bottle with scrolls in the bedroom.

"His Majesty has assigned this task since April, and the drafts I have drawn are all in it, so Maozhen can read them."

Lin Xiyuan took them and opened them one by one.

I saw that at the very beginning, there were five strange mountains, great rivers and rivers, dragons and beasts, and the sun, moon and stars lived in all directions.

Later, there was another pattern of using the nine tripods to inherit the sun and the stars and the moon to protect the left and right.

In the end, although there were only Sun, Moon and Star, there were several editions.From extremely decorative patterns, to only solid-color patterns in the end.

"Do you know why His Majesty made it so simple in the end?"

Lin Xiyuan shook his head.

Tang Yin's eyes were in a trance for a moment, and then he said: "Its meaning is noble and prominent, but it has many uses. There are countless faces to weave, so it must be simple and cheap. Besides, the road is as simple as possible. Your Majesty said that only a simple pattern can make Ming Dynasty Many people who are illiterate and do not know the allusions remember the things they are most familiar with at a glance. The sun and the moon combine to form a bright, the stars are divided into five corners, and the five elements are endless. On the land of Ming Dynasty, the background color is red, and His Majesty hopes that the emperor, ministers and common people will know that it is the meaning of the continuous inheritance of the Chinese blood."

Staring at Lin Xiyuan, Tang Yin finally said solemnly: "The sun, the moon and the stars all use bright yellow, and your Majesty also wants to tell the people of the world. The Taizu started at the end of the world, and Gai was respected as the Son of Heaven because he continued the Chinese orthodoxy. Everyone is honored."

Lin Xiyuan's heart was shocked: What about the cheap ones that are still there?
……

The second topic at the national policy meeting is this.

But the introductions are not those cheap people, but military households.

"After the establishment of various enterprises, the problem of craftsmen and households will be solved by the enterprises." Zhu Houcong looked at Yang Yiqing and others, "There are many recruits in border towns, and the Beijing camp is also recruited. The guards have been stationed so far, and a Huguang war has been established. The three guards rebelled. After the local public security department was established, ordinary banditry has been dispatched and dealt with in a unified manner. Taking advantage of the opportunity of the rebellion, the provincial capitals first changed the recruitment of soldiers, then cut down the guards, and finally changed the old system of military households. The direction is the same, what are the details? Your Majesty and others discuss together."

Every province has several guards, and the registered quota is "tens of thousands of troops".

In the past, in terms of military power, there were capital divisions, standard divisions, and some other yamen.

There are tens of thousands of troops, but the suppression of bandits is still ineffective.

Now all over the country have set up public security yamen, which is a security force for internal anti-theft.The gangsters will be handed over to the public security bureaus and public security departments of the cooperating local prefectures and counties in the future.

Naturally, each province can be called a powerful force if it can have about [-] elite soldiers.

Many people looked at Cui Yuan.

In addition to the Beijing camp, the sub-regional commanders of the Five Armed Forces Dudufu are the commanders of the Daming local capitals and guards.Now it seems that in the future, the divisions in charge of each army's governor's mansion will probably be equivalent to the first battalion of the Beijing camp.

The commander-in-chief of the five armies will obviously have more difficult internal and external combat tasks.

To recruit soldiers in all provinces, the supply of food and salaries is just an old-fashioned financial pressure, but now it is even more difficult to make the generals of the local guards obey.

It is certainly a good time that the Huguang Sanwei Rebellion was quelled, and the power of the new Three Great Battalions and the imperial court should be respected, but local guards not only exist in provinces that have been stable for many years, but also in border towns.

There is no chaos in the border town.

At the national policy meeting, all the ministers expressed their opinions, and then Yang Yiqing, the new military general staff, said: "First the border towns, and then the provinces. The frontier towns are selected first. Now the Beijing camp will serve as some, and the Beijing camp will continue to recruit and train recruits. The provinces will start with the public. Hou was appointed as the governor of the five prefectures, Hou Bo was appointed as the commander of the capital, and the county and township two nobles were appointed as the heavy generals of the capital. Others were selected to serve as the secretary of public security, the public security bureau, and the public security department. The recruitment is complete."

Wang Shouren also agreed: "The army of the Beijing camp does not need to be trained. It has been accomplished last year, and now it is time to suppress the world. Supplemented with titles of grace, merit, and honor. First, start with the army. The armies will gradually take on a new look."

If you want to be safe, catch thieves and local gangsters and bullies.

In the future, the recruiting of soldiers in various provinces will only take food and salaries and not do business. It is impossible to only know about the benefits of the guards and the empty salaries.

If you obey, you will have the title of title first.

Resistance will be suppressed by recruits from the Beijing camp.

The military leaders of the provinces and the governors-general of the five prefectures are naturally honorable ministers who have been tested in the past few years, are loyal to the emperor, have been promoted from the emperor, and are determined to make contributions.

The governors of the provinces are here, and the left chief envoy is also here.

If both the military and the government are their own people, the problem of the guard may seem difficult, but it will eventually be resolved slowly, as long as you make up your mind.

Zhu Houcong nodded: "The Taizu determined the people in the world and established many types of household registration. It was because the population was withered and all businesses were not prosperous after a long period of war in the early days of the country. Now it is not the beginning of the country. The manpower, material and financial resources of the Ming Dynasty are more than several times that of the country. At the beginning? There were many people but no land, and many businesses escaped, and there were layers of exploitation and hardship.”

After looking at these important ministers, Zhu Houcong said again: "Many of you are from the military, and the first thing you think of is to change your military status after you become an official with a high grade. This is especially true for Qing and others. Don't the people look forward to it? "

He was telling the truth.

The characteristic of military households is that people must be sent out to join the army, although military backgrounds can also be tested scientifically.However, if the military status is not changed, the children of the family will still have to join the army from generation to generation, so many officials with military background will always try to change their military status after they become officials.

"In addition to military registration, there are many service registrations. Carpenter households, salt households, kitchen households, horse households... Now that corvee service is being changed, there are many enterprises and many private businesses that need to employ people. It is time to save the people of the world from this worry. "Zhu Houcong paused, "Of course, if you change it rashly, it will make some people lose their livelihood. Qing and others can discuss a strategy, how to make many people with military status have a livelihood, and then change to civil status .”

Discussion on this issue will become the management of today's enterprises and many future commercial firms and merchants.

Making a living is not a temporary thing.

As a member of the military service, it is of course an obligation to serve, but there is also a stable "salary", although it is not much after layers of exploitation.

But this is at least a certain degree of "iron rice bowl". After all, those who manage the corvee and dispatch are all officials, so they will give some.

If all these are gone, then many service-registered families may not all welcome them, but will worry about how to earn a living in the future.

To farm, you need to have enough fields to distribute to these people.

To go to work, you need to have a certain guarantee mechanism, and you can't feed them all to the [-] companies.

What's more, there is another even bigger crowd.

"Then there are hidden households and lowly households." Zhu Houcong looked at them, "What's your strategy?"

Low status is actually simple, as long as the court does not decide to beat these people forever.Among them, there are mainly Yueji, fishermen, Danmin and so on.

The number of hidden households is too large. These are the population of officials and gentry, which is not within the scope of official statistics.

Its advantage is that it can be exempted from corvee.

The downside is that once they are held accountable, the authorities will punish them instead.

They and the officials and gentry are in the relationship of paying protection fees and being protected. For this reason, they are willing to pay food and contribute to the officials and gentry who live with them.

If this part of the population is to be counted and released, the biggest question is whether the new law will make their survival pressure greater than it is now after the implementation of the new law.

In addition, the "living" of a large number of their families as house slaves begging for food in the homes of officials and gentry may also be destroyed.

Once the good days when officials and gentry can no longer earn land rent by collecting a large amount of hidden farmland as in the past, they may have to "lay off workers" under increasing economic pressure before finding new income points.

With the current industrial and commercial foundation of Ming Dynasty, it cannot support such a huge "employment population".

Fei Hong, the first Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty and Minister of State, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, after the re-creation of the Yellow Book next year, there will be more fields and more people. It is not known yet. There are also a few. Since ancient times, agriculture has been emphasized. As long as there is no war, the tillers have their fields, and the taxes are appropriate, the people will not flee their homes and become hermits. If there is a clever strategy, it is only taxation, corvee, etc. in the new law. After being implemented in local areas, it still does not harm the people.”

After a pause, he looked at the civil servants who were about to be under his control, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty has entrusted you with a heavy responsibility, and the imperial court and ministers are united. This is an unprecedented situation. Let the people avoid their worries, and show mercy to His Majesty. We will gather here again in three years, and I hope we can bring good news to His Majesty, instead of the increasing number of refugees and the difficult livelihood of the people. Do you think so?"

The prime minister's face is for sale, and what he said is true.

At this time, Daming probably has a population of tens of millions of fugitives and hermits, and they are not all supported by others now.Most of what they plowed were their own fields, but only under the names of the officials and gentry.

If it is cleared and returned to them, the tax and corvee burden will not be heavier than it is now, and there will be no major problems.

It just needs them to be able to deal with local gentry and low-level officials.

In addition, the worries in the hearts of these hidden households have to be resolved.

After all, they feared the government more than their masters, so they fled and became hermits.

Zhu Houcong nodded: "Remember, the people are not the enemy, only those gentry who are still profiting at the expense of the country, and those officials who treat the people like slaves are enemies. After the arrival of the Sanchen Banner of the Ming Dynasty, we must convince the people of the world and know that I treat them as a respectable family. The necessary taxes are not to support me and the officials, but to help them avoid banditry, build water conservancy, build bridges and pave roads, run schools and educate people, etc. "

He also paused for a moment, and then said: "I hope that in three years' time, the monarch and ministers will be able to formally discuss here whether the Ming Dynasty will no longer be able to separate the various nationality. The people of the Ming Dynasty are all citizens. There is no crime, Then all the children can take the scientific examination!"

(End of this chapter)